Francis Xavier D'Ambrosio DBA / Architectural Gardens, went “green” long before the term was coined and uses a tilted cross for the letter (x) in his signature “Xavier” pointing to Heaven in recognition of the source for gifts of perception & creativity.
Raised in an Italian family where English was a secondary language and influenced by his Father, Angelo Carminio D'Ambrosio, who was a reconized clothing designer & pattern maker for Town & Country, Bobby Brooks, and Talbots of NY. At the age of seven I was compelled to create anything I would recognize as beautiful from whatever was available to me, such as paper, cans, boxes, and sticks. This process required innovation that fueled my quest for the knowledge of How & Why. In turn, this lead me to question, “Does form follow function or function follow form” ?
At the age of twenty five and having great appreciation for old world architecture, I was exposed to the demolition industry and directed my energy to dismantling and restoring architectural elements. Not being able to save all that was available, I found myself creating art from trash. I obtained the knowledge of fabrication in the mediums of wood, stained glass, iron, and stone through the experience of dismantle and have forced function to follow form dictated by my raw materials.
This in itself is an art conceived through perception and has allowed me a gracious form of expression in my work. At the age of sixty, my work is in galleries throughout the United States and is residing in homes in six countries, as well as commissioned work for designers and architects in municipalities, landscape, and home builders.